All The Other Loves
by Narcissos
Summary: Sometimes trauma causes you to make yourself open to new things; like moving in with your friend, realizing the feelings you've carried for the same boy would forever be unrequited, and then falling in love with said friend. It's not ideal, but nothing about Sakura or Hinata truly was. SakuHina. Written for Naruto Femslash Week 2017 (July 17-23).
1. Family

**Nars:** Need more SakuHina in my life because why pit the girls against each other when they can have each other? Y'know? *winks*

This was written for Naruto Femslash Week 2017, which runs from July 17-23. I couldn't resist participating. This whole fic is going to be connected and finished within the next seven days.

 **Series:** Naruto: Shippuden  
 **Pairing:** Sakura/Hinata  
 **Universe:** Canonverse, Post-War  
 **Warnings:** Mild swearing  
 **Chapter Summary:** A family can be two women and a potted plant, after all.  
 **Prompt:** Family  
 **Word Count:** 2701

 **Disclaimer: Naruto/Naruto Shippuden belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. All characters mentioned belong solely to the aforementioned**.

* * *

When Sakura Haruno decides to move out and become independent, it's around the same time that Hinata Hyūga begins searching for an apartment of her own.

They run into each other at the marketplace, where Hinata is perusing a fruit stand, eyebrows drawn together, deep in thought. Her mind is far away though, thinking about everything but the apples in front of her.

"Those fruits challenge you to a fight or something, Hinata-chan?"

She spins around on her heel, exhaling with relief at the sight of Sakura. "Sakura-chan, hello..."

"What's up?" asks Sakura, purchasing two apples from the vendor and handing one to Hinata wordlessly. "You look really serious."

She takes a bite of the apple, nodding grimly. "I'm... moving out of the c-compound."

To no one's surprise, Sakura's eyes widen with shock. Everyone she'd since told has had the same reaction. Why was the Hyūga princess moving out of her own castle? The world may never know. "Huh, that's interesting." Sakura replies. "So am I."

"Mhm... Wait, you are?" She gawks, resisting the urge to ask why. Her reasons must be as personal as Hinata's. "Do you have anywhere in mind y-yet...?"

"To be honest, not really. I'll probably check the local apartment listings soon." admits Sakura. "You?"

"There are a f-few places I looked at." says the Hyūga, realizing belatedly that Sakura had bought her the apple. She could've at least returned the favour. "Are you busy? We can g-get tea?"

"Sure, I'm free today." She says with a smile.

Hinata mimics the expression with a shy smile of her own, pointing to the teahouse just across the fruit stands. They head there together, catching up just as friends do. They talk about their search for a place to live alone, and Hinata brings up the three prospective apartments she'd been looking into.

"You've put so much thought into it." says Sakura with a pout. "All I know is that I want a place with a bedroom and bath."

"I've been wanting to m-move out for a while." She replies. "I had time to think."

"Would be so much easier if we just moved in together, huh?" jokes Sakura, taking a sip of tea.

A thought occurs to Hinata as soon as her friend's words register in her head. "Oh." She says. "D-Do you want to?"

She all but chokes on the tea. "E-Eh?!"

"Was that weird?" asks Hinata, breath catching in her throat as she tries to justify what she's said. "J-Just a thought!"

Sakura falls silent, placing her cup down quietly and seemingly mulling over the proposition. As Hinata is about to tell her she wasn't serious, she looks up, green eyes clashing against white. "I'm okay with it if you are."

Okay. It isn't exactly the type of independence that Sakura had planned for, but it's a good start. Living with a friend was way different than living with her parents. "Do you want to go see the apartments?"

Hinata nods meekly, paying for both their teas and leaving it on the table. They set off, headed to the first building she had her eyes on. A new development, sure, but she isn't complaining. Hinata was learning, slowly but surely, to go with the flow and stop stressing.

...

No less than three days later, they've chosen a loft, the last of three apartments Hinata had been eyeing. It is close by to the hospital for Sakura to get to work with easily, and far away from the Hyūga compound, two traits that were very appealing to them both.

"This is my last box." says Sakura, dropping a box labeled _'books_ ' on the floor of the second bedroom. There are two rooms, each decked out with windows and ample space for their belongings.

Hinata had since moved her things into the other room, setting up a bookshelf for her scrolls and novels and tomes passed down through generations of the Hyūga clan. Just because she's away doesn't mean she wouldn't miss certain things.

She passes the bathroom which is roomy enough for them both to fit comfortably into during tumultuous mornings. "Need help u-unpacking, Sakura-chan?"

"Mm, can you help me cut open these boxes?" calls Sakura from her room.

Hinata walks by the kitchen, and her eyes gloss over the signs of chipping on the walls. The light inside the fridge is broken, the faucet leaks a little, but it still feels like home.

Or rather, they can make it home.

...

Sakura can recall a time when Hinata had been meek and soft-spoken–their academy days all the way up until the apex of the war, in fact. But the Hyūga who resides in their shared apartment is anything but.

"S-Sakura-chan, keep your boots on the shoerack!" says Hinata one afternoon when Sakura lands in the loft, exhausted and ready to sink into the bathtub.

She is nowhere in sight but Sakura has some reason to believe she may have her Byakugan activated at the ready. That or she just knew Sakura's habits by now.

"But I–" She sighs in defeat, "Alright." Sakura obeys (out of fear of irritating Hinata) and places her shoes where they are supposed to be. "Did you cook? It smells nice."

"Yes." says Hinata, "I made oden."

Her eyes brighten. "I've been craving it recently. Thank you!"

Hinata may be a little terrifying, but she keeps their household runs smoothly.

She makes sure that Sakura keeps her boots on the shoe rack, and her clothes in their appropriate drawers after laundry day. Hinata ensures that the garbage is put outside on the correct days and that their mail is on the counter before they leave for work each morning. She verifies that the potted cactus Sakura had received from Gaara as a 'housewarming gift' (he's new to this friendship thing) is watered on its very particular schedule.

More than that, she ascertains that they both always have enough to eat.

"I'll wash the dishes, so don't you dare." says Sakura sharply. "You've done more than enough!"

Hinata wrings a washcloth between her hands and then exhales. "Fine." They've developed a routine already and she knows not to deviate.

Sakura had moved to get away from her mother's doting and found Hinata to badger her instead.

She doesn't mind it though.

...

After the death of her cousin, Hinata had done her fair share of soul searching.

It led her to perusing the newspapers seeking an apartment for herself with the reluctant blessing of her father and the elders, though the power they held was dwindling more and more each day.

The Hyūga compound was littered with daily reminders of Neji's presence, or lack thereof. He had left a roll of gauze on her dresser before all hell had broken loose. His second best pair of sandals were set neatly by the foyer at the back entrance. A photograph of him and his team was still in his room atop his vanity.

There were too many memories of her cousin that she could not bear to see every single day she lived and he didn't.

So she left.

Her father had called it a fool's way out but had ultimately loaned her ample time to grieve, sparing her a well-deserved break in between training to be the Hyūga heiress because that was now on the table again.

It wasn't ideal, but asking Sakura to move in with her had been a split-second action. She could have managed all on her own, no questions asked, but she didn't quite want to. Or rather, she never thought someone would _want_ to live with her and that it was another viable option.

Getting an affirmative response had eased up the burden on her shoulders remarkably.

And so the days passed, and they continued to live and let live.

...

"Do you think Akamaru considers Kiba _his_ pet?"

Hinata glances at Sakura over the rim of her glass and all but snorts water in her attempts at hiding her laughter.

The pink-haired girl blushes profusely, "I was only wondering!"

She clears her throat, gently setting her glass down on the small wood coaster, "Yes, it's definitely a possibility..." She tries not to laugh anymore, but she can't stop the grin that is near permanent on her face.

They fall back into comfortable silence, pierced only by Hinata's stomach growling. Her face flares up hotly. "I-um–"

Sakura sits up, raising a brow. "What was it you said? That you _weren't hungry_ , huh?"

The Hyūga frowns, embarrassed but less so because Sakura doesn't judge her on her bad eating habits. "M-Maybe I could... eat a little..."

"Here I thought a bear got into the house." Sakura teases as she gets up to rummage through the refrigerator.

"Hey!" Hinata throws a pillow at her head, missing by mere centimetres and then follows after her reluctantly.

"We gotta fix this damn fridge light."

"Or the faucet." She suggests.

Sakura groans. "Don't remind me. I was trying to do paperwork earlier and all I could hear was its annoying dripping."

The Hyūga giggles, accepting the curry pilaf wrapped up tight in a container, "How much do you want?"

"Whatever you don't."

She rolls her eyes. "We'll s-split it."

When they eat, they do it together. It's just the way they work.

...

Sasuke and Naruto had chased one another all their lives. War or not, some things could not be changed. Sasuke would run. Naruto would follow. Sakura would be sidelined.

The blond claimed he was doing it because they were friends, teammates, destined–it varied depending on his mood.

But nobody in Konohagakure could deny that there had always been something _more_ to their entwined fates.

They called them a destined duo and a star-crossed pair–all very pretentious titles to live up to.

For a large chunk of her life, Sakura had gone on pretending that her teammates being so in sync with one another was merely the outcome of their maturity. But they were so powerful, already sage-levelled with their own personal vendettas. How long would she be forced to support them in their endeavours?

Team Kakashi, Team Seven, whatever it could be called was too far divided for her to sew it back together.

Naruto and Sasuke were walking down paths she could no longer follow, no matter how much she longed to.

So she resolved to make a new path for herself.

...

The Hyūga family began to look to Hinata to lead them after Neji's death. Or so she'd thought.

The truth was that the branch house had always favoured her over the younger daughter, but bent themselves to Hiashi-sama's will when he made his dislike of Hinata's soft nature apparent.

They believed she could give the Hyūga clan new meaning to their name, lead them down the path of humility over sticking to the status quo.

Hiashi-sama's strict training habits hardened her soul, his neglect toughened her skin, and then their love, fronted by Neji, made her strong yet humble.

In a time long ago, becoming successor to her father had been a far-fetched dream, stained by her father slandering her weak will and telling her that her sister would surpass her.

But now it is her fate. She can only do so much to hide from it before it comes to get her.

"Father." She says, forcing herself to stand after a particularly nasty hit that knocked the breath out of her. "Again, please. I'm not f-finished yet."

"Very good, Hinata." He responds. It is a rare compliment that she has not heard from him in quite a while. There's barely any time to relish it though. "Prepare yourself."

She is going to meet her fate head on.

...

"Another Valentine's day spent suffering at home." grouses Sakura, taking another bite of the chocolate square in her hand. "At least you got some."

"Mm, yes, but t-these are from Kō." says Hinata, gesturing to the caramel chocolate in a tiny box. "And these are f-from Iroha. They're from Hyūgas. Doesn't count."

The Branch family's love for her was no joke.

Sakura scrutinizes her, "All I'm hearing is that they like you."

"Sakura-chan–!"

"And what about these ones?" She points to a finished box of truffles. "Aren't they from Kiba and Shino?"

She flushes red. "Y-Yes, but we _always_ exchange chocolates on Valentine's day..."

"Compared to me, that's still pretty good. I had to buy these for myself." admits Sakura wearily. Even if Sasuke and Naruto were in the village, she doesn't quite think they'd have gotten her anything either, friendly or not.

Hinata's eyes involuntarily follow Sakura's movements as she pops the rest of the tiny sliver of chocolate into her mouth, running her tongue over her top lip. She doesn't realize until it's too late that she's forgotten to reply. "Umm, Sakura-chan?"

"Hm?"

The Hyūga princess offers her a white chocolate truffle, "...Will you be my Valentine?"

Sakura's gaze flickers from the chocolate to Hinata in bewilderment before a grin forms across her face. "Awh, maybe this wasn't a total bust after all. I love you too!"

Hinata ignores the way her face turns red with surprise, unused to hearing those very affectionate words from anyone but her sister. It has a very different connotation coming from Sakura and it's more welcoming than she expects it to be.

A part of her deep down wants to hear it again.

...

"Mirai-chan." coos Hinata as she adjusts the baby girl in her arms. "Let's go get something to eat, ah?" She gurgles incoherently which is a good enough answer for Hinata.

The tuft of black hair and pale skin that the baby has inherited makes her feel just a little bit, like she could masquerade as Mirai's mother. But the child is a tried and true Sarutobi, just like her father–even if she can't form many words yet.

"Hinata-chan, hey!"

"Look," She says, pointing to the entrance of the hospital. "It's Sakura-chan, let's go say h-hello." Mirai reaches for a fistful of Hinata's hair, babbling enthusiastically. She gently untucks her hair from the child's grubby palm and heads towards Sakura who looks befitting of her pristine white coat. "Hi, Sakura-chan. Shouldn't you be w-working?"

"I'm on break." She shrugs. "Some jerk didn't want to get his vaccinations done and kept yelling at us so I took my break while they restrained him."

Obviously she had to keep her temper in check when in the hospital but it still felt weird to Hinata that she could manage.

"Now who's this cutie? I don't remember you having a baby." says Sakura jokingly, reaching up to shake Mirai's tiny hand in greeting. The child grabs for a handful of Sakura's cotton candy hair instead, missing by a very close margin.

"Mirai-chan is Kurenai-sensei's d-daughter." She replies, "I'm, um, watching her while Kurenai-sensei gets an examination done."

Her eyes darken with sympathy. "So this is the famed Mirai-chan..." Konohamaru had a penchant for talking about his amazing younger cousin who would get all of his skills. She most definitely would, but there was no telling what _else_ she would accomplish. The next generation was looking quite promising already.

Hinata smiles wryly as Mirai begins to drool over the shoulder of her coat. Teething was always a nightmare. "Did you see Kurenai-sensei in the h-hospital, Sakura-chan?"

"Mhm, she was almost finished." replies the other girl. "Guess you won't have to play mom for much longer."

She pouts. No matter how unsalvageable her shirt would end up by the end of the day, Hinata liked Mirai's presence. The child soothed her receptors that screamed at her to keep practicing her gentle fist until her arms flew off. She made her feel just the tiniest bit more human. "Yes, I suppose so... Mirai-chan has her own family to get home to."

The pink haired girl purses her lips thoughtfully, sensing her friend's veiled sadness. "You know, Hinata-chan..." She says after a beat, "A family can be two women and a potted plant."

The dry stare that Hinata gives her can cut flesh. She almost regrets saying it until—

"It's a _cactus_."

Sakura balks at Hinata and then they simultaneously burst out laughing.

* * *

 **Nars:** Before you ask me why I'm trying to shove SakuHina down your throats, consider this: I'm _gay,_ thanksss _._

Tomorrow's prompt is *drumrolls* _Training Sessions_ :)


	2. Training Sessions

**Nars:** This is short but the sexual tension is bad. So a lethal combination, really. Also, thank you so much for the nice reviews, both on Ff and Tumblr. Let's see if I can live up to the expectations of making this a memorable multi-chaptered SakuHina fic lol.

 **Chapter Summary:** Why spend the weekend relaxing when you can be overexerting all your energy training instead?  
 **Prompt:** Training Sessions  
 **Word Count:** 1568

 **Disclaimer: Naruto/Naruto Shippuden belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. All characters mentioned belong solely to the aforementioned**.

* * *

When Sakura drags herself out of bed on the weekend, she expects miso soup to sit steaming on the table or Hinata to be buzzing around the kitchen, humming along to a tune on the radio or, hell, even Kiba to be raiding their fridge for leftovers (something he seemed to do more usually, lately).

What she doesn't expect to find is Hinata sitting cross-legged in the middle of their living room, meditating fiercely (or as fierce as meditation is supposed to be) and completely disenchanted with the outside world.

She tiptoes into the kitchen and puts two pieces of bread into the toaster, lazily setting the kettle on to boil them some tea. The state of the sink shows that Hinata hasn't eaten yet, but somehow, Sakura believes she may have been here a while.

Sakura can't help but remark that Hinata looks very in her element when she's at ease like this. Maybe she could stand to meditate along with her on the weekends too, if only to—

"Sakura-chan."

She jolts, spinning around only to find that Hinata has since left her zen-like state and had approached, leaning on the doorframe languidly. "Oh, wow, I guess I'm not that awake yet after all." She says sheepishly. "G'morning."

"Good morning." Hinata greets back. "I was just, um, meditating for later."

"For later?" She repeats, gathering up two plates as the toaster flings the toast into the air. It lands seamlessly and she spreads strawberry jam on both pieces–Hinata likes her toast the same way Sakura does. "What's going on later?"

"About that..." murmurs the Hyūga evasively.

Sakura turns back around to face her, only to find that Hinata has crept even closer, nearly pressing her up against the counter with hardly any breathing room. There's about an inch of space between the two of them.

She blanches, eyes widening at the sight of Hinata's gaze becoming all soft and doe-like. "Will you train with me today?" She asks.

"I–" Since when could Hinata successfully put her in a position where she was hesitant to say no? Sakura had intended to have a lazy day in with little to no destruction and yet–"Alright, but just for a little bit." She wants to hit herself as soon as she says it. There's no backing out now.

Hinata steps back, visibly pleased. "Thank you s-so much, Sakura-chan!"

"Yeah... No problem." She responds mildly, already feeling her energy leave the entirety of her body. Something told her that she was going to regret training with the Hyūga princess.

...

Sakura doesn't know how to deal with the Byakugan, not as well as she'd liked to. That being said, she also didn't have much experience fighting those who owned such a kekkei genkai.

She'd argued with Neji Hyūga verbally before, sure, and she thinks she might have accidentally glared at Hanabi Hyūga once when she clicked her tongue in Sakura's general direction–but the Hyūga clan, unlike the Uchihas, have largely not tried to kill her.

When Hinata activates her Byakugan and falls into the first form of the gentle fist, Sakura is briefly caught off-guard with how natural she looks when she is on the offensive instead of attempting to defend herself from harm.

Sakura, recognizing that this would be a predominantly taijutsu-based scrimmage, widens her stance and prepares to block.

The Hyūga moves first, palm striking out and landing a solid hit to a point somewhere below Sakura's chest. It doesn't quite seal off her tenketsu point, but Sakura feels like this might be deliberate. She shakes off her initial surprise, resolving to not allow the Byakugan to intimidate her.

Hinata lunges forward again, but Sakura meets her open-palm attacks with solid punches, managing to keep the Hyūga in her line of vision and far, far away from her blind spots.

They don't do much talking when they spar, but the silence is unusually comfortable. Sakura is pleasantly surprised that she is enjoying this as much as it is, even though her right forearm is beginning to fall numb.

Sakura's brute strength is her advantage over Hinata in this fight. She lands meaningful hits that upset her footing and cause her to stumble. The Hyūga is being forced to pivot more, keep herself at a further distance which hinders the overall power of her gentle fist.

Her fist lashes out, brushing by Hinata's cheek by a fraction of an inch. She can tell she'd thrown her off a bit, but instead of retreating back a few feet, Hinata's brows furrow and she moves in again.

Sakura rather likes Hinata's style of gentle fist, the way her tenacity keeps her looking for different openings to get through. She lands a kick that Sakura is ashamed to have let reach her, screwing up her concentration. In retaliation, she doesn't let Hinata land another one like that, and when she tries, Sakura decks her.

She slips backwards, not losing her footing. Hinata wordlessly massages her jaw and purses her lips. Sakura is tempted to ask if Hinata wanted a break, but patronizing her would only make her more determined and well, Sakura wants to go back inside to the loft. The training grounds are unsavoury in late February.

The Hyūga snakes back in, feinting a blow and then sweeps Sakura's legs from right beneath her. She feels herself begin to fall, and at last moment, makes a grab for Hinata's arm.

The momentum carries them both down, Hinata landing on top of her chest and _shit_ , Sakura thinks, if she had bigger breasts this would hurt like nobody's business. Is this how Hinata feels on a daily basis, because if so, it _sucks_.

For a while, they lie there, panting heavily as exhaustion wreaks havoc on their bodies. Sakura heaves air back into her lungs and smiles at Hinata weakly, but the other girl isn't reciprocating the gesture. Instead, her cheeks are dusted pink, her pupils are blown wide, her Byakugan has receded, and she is still flushed and breathing hard.

She's never seen Hinata look quite so... _satisfied_. It's such an gratifying look that Sakura cannot help but feel smug that she is to blame for it. Likely from her inflating ego, she opens her mouth and says, "You okay?"

As if remembering where she is and what position they are in, Hinata jolts and scrambles away, sitting on her heels as she rakes a hand through her hair. "Y-Yes."

Sakura pulls herself up, poking experimentally at her arm where she can feel the chakra disjoint itself and halt altogether. "The gentle fist _is_ pretty amazing..."

Hinata snorts. "I didn't even do it right."

She looks up, realizing that Hinata is sulking, genuinely upset at herself for having screwed up, somehow. "You shouldn't worry about that, Hinata-chan! Fitting the mould is boring. If you could find a way to weave more of your ninjutsu affinity into the gentle fist, you'd be unstoppable."

Hinata scrutinizes her warily and then smiles, "Thank you, Sakura-chan..."

She wonders if she's overstepped her bounds there, got involved with age-old Hyūga clan politics that are none of her concern. Sakura gets to her feet, offering a hand to Hinata. "Can we go home now? I was looking forward to conserving my energy instead of exhausting it."

Hinata flushes red again. "S-Sorry..." Still, she accepts Sakura's outstretched hand and they head home. Together.

...

"Something is different about you, Daughter." remarks Hiashi later that evening as he trains Hinata in the dojo of the compound.

The Hyūgas always find time to comment that moving out was useless if Hinata was just to return again and again anyhow. She sees it differently. Moving out was a power move for her, one that was hopefully panning out in her favour.

She remains focused on avoiding his outstretched palm as he moves forward to strike her in the chest. "Yes?" She inquires, "What is i-it?" She ducks away from another attack, her clenched fist weaving towards her father. In a split-second change, she unfurls her fingers and lets the open-palmed attack strike him instead, but he brushes it off so easily she knows it's done nothing at all.

"You've begun to fight like her." He says plainly. "Tsunade's apprentice."

She opens her mouth to correct him, to tell him that her name is Sakura Haruno and she was well on her way to surpass the famed Sannin. But she realizes she'd only be playing into her father's trick. He knows her name full and well, he just wants Hinata to let up and lose her nerve. Instead, she nudges the subject into another direction. "It... makes me stronger."

"Becoming a jack-of-all-trades is not a becoming trait of a Hyūga clan heiress." He says, landing a solid strike to her chest that sends her skidding towards the opposite end of the dojo.

Hinata catches herself, shaking her head sternly. "Not unless I master it all."

Her father's movements pause. There is an unusually bemused look in his gaze and she is taken aback by the mere sight of it. Hiashi Hyūga did not nearly-smile. He just did not. "She has spurred you on to grow a backbone as well, it seems."

Himata's cheeks redden at the very thought of Sakura's persistence leaking into her without realizing it. She wonders what she has given to Sakura, and for a brief moment thinks that Sakura is better off without any of _her_ traits.

"Again, Hinata." commands her father as he reverts back to his picture-perfect form and then lashes out with another ruthless strike. And so the night slips by them.

* * *

 **Nars:** Wow! I can't write action sequences to save my life! God, this is why I stick to modern romances...

Tomorrow's prompt is _Medieval_ , which sounds remarkably out of place considering the story so far but trust me, it'll make sense soon. This is supposed to be a slow burn but in seven days, I don't know how _slow_ I can make it...

Thanks for reading!


	3. Medieval

**Nars:** Brush up on your Arthurian knowledge because this is about to get messy! Also, really cracky, like damn.

Some sentences lifted from the Tristan and Isolde (2006) movie transcript.

 **Chapter Summary:** Because plays are apparently critical to the development of pre-Genin ninjas. Sakura and Hinata unwittingly end up in the centre.  
 **Prompt:** Medieval  
 **Word Count:** 1903

 **Disclaimer: Naruto/Naruto Shippuden belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. All characters mentioned belong solely to the aforementioned.**

* * *

Sakura wakes up to a knock on the front door. It's too early for it to be one of their friends coming to steal their food or take Hinata away for training or anything like that, so she is understandably a bit cautious. She stands, rubbing sleep out of her eyes and opens the door, finding one of the younger chūnin kunoichi with a scroll in hand. "Hi?" She says.

"H-Haruno-san," The kunoichi replies, straightening her back, "A notice from Hokage-sama!"

Sakura accepts the scroll with a polite smile and the other ninja jogs away. She closes the door and pops the scroll open, skimming over the words as irritation swells inside of her.

 _'Sakura, come to my office asap and bring that roommate of yours too! Don't be late ;)  
_ _\- KH'_

"Gimme a break." She huffs, chucking the scroll into the garbage. Still, she knows better than to ignore a request, be it from Kakashi or not. A part of her does wonder what this 'request' is. Probably something on a more personal level, like come over and give his poor aching shoulders a massage. Sakura rolls her eyes and sets about preparing two pieces of toast before she wakes Hinata.

Before she can bother with the second part, she hears Hinata open her door and then sees the other girl slowly slink out, dragging her feet with her hair in utter disarray. "Good morning..." She whispers.

"Hinata-chan, we have a mission." says Sakura, spreading jam on the finished toast. "Or _something_ , I don't know. It's from Kakashi-sensei."

The Hyūga finally looks alert, eyes wide and all traces of drowsiness gone. "Okay." She takes the toast given to her by Sakura and takes a bite. "I wonder what..."

"Yeah, same." says Sakura. Her heart thunders in her chest at the fleeting thought that it might be to go and retrieve Naruto and Sasuke. Hinata could track with her Byakugan and Sakura knew her teammates better than anyone. Perhaps that was _precisely_ it. She gobbles down the rest of her toast and grins. "I'll be in the bathroom!"

"Bye...?" says Hinata but by then, Sakura is already gone.

...

"Sakura!" trills Kakashi when they reach his office at the top of the tower. He spins in his chair, missing the glare Shizune sends him as she jams her foot between the swiveling wheels and stops his movement. "So glad you could make it!"

"Kakashi." She quips dryly, "Wouldn't miss it."

"And I see you brought Hyūga-chan too." He says, visible eye crinkling politely at Hinata.

She goes beat red and sinks into the chair in front of him, "J-Just Hinata is okay, Hokage-sama."

He wags a finger at Sakura. "You could stand to be more like Hinata-chan, Sakura."

"Tell us why you called us here." She scowls, leaning forward excitedly. "Are we leaving the village?"

"Leaving?" He repeats, meeting eyes with Shizune who looks about as confused as him. "Guess we forgot to tell Hana-chan why we sent for you. Oh, well. You two are going to be helping around the academy for a bit!"

"What? Why?!" exclaims Sakura. "What happened to Iruka-sensei?"

He chuckles. "He's fine, he's fine. He's just been working over here a lot more."

As if on cue, there is a knock on the door and then Iruka shuffles in, balancing a very thick pile of papers in his hands. He sets them on top of Kakashi's desk with a glare. "Do you know how many errors are in here?"

"No, but I guess you're about to tell me." says Kakashi with a long-suffering sigh. "Just go to the academy, the others can tell you the rest."

Hinata raises a brow, "T-The others...?"

Sakura shrugs. "Let's just go."

They leave the Sixth to his distress and head off, passing a few Genin students as they make their way to the training grounds. If Sakura remembers correctly, now is about the time where the teachers begin to teach how to use weapons. She wonders what they had to do at the academy, in that sense. Beside her, Hinata's silence indicates she may be wondering the same. Hinata shoulders the door to the academy open and as she does so, is _attacked_.

She falls to the floor with a shriek as Sakura jumps two feet in the air, on the offensive. The sound of barking is all that can be heard.

"A-Akamaru!" exclaims Hinata in the midst of being assaulted by the giant dog's slobbers. Well if the dog was here then that meant... Sakura glances over, finding Kiba and Shino approaching them, the former grinning as though his dog did not nearly give her a heart attack. Hinata sits up, scratching Akamaru under his chin.

Sakura shielded her mouth to cover up her laughter. "Hinata-chan, your shirt is covered in dog slobber."

She looks down at the top of her shirt and sighs, "Akamaru, why...?"

"He just wuvs you, Hinata." laughs Kiba as his dog trots over to sit beside his leg. "So Hokage-sama got you too, huh?"

Sakura nods. "The academy isn't so bad, though. What're we doing? Teaching chakra control or something?"

Kiba blinks. "You mean you don't know?"

Hinata shakes her head. "H-Hokage-sama only told us to come here... What _are_ we doing?"

Shino clears his throat, voice only somewhat muffled behind his coat. "We are putting on a _play_."

Sakura and Hinata both exchanged an incredulous look and in sync, cried "What?!"

...

"Is this even i-important?" says Hinata as they search through the 'costume room' that was just a storage for things that the academy didn't regularly utilize.

Sakura scratches her cheek. "Apparently it promotes medical-nin training since most of the kids think it's lame." She was mildly perturbed by that, especially since she was a medic-nin and a lot of people in the village idolized her. Was it really that uncool of a job? She _saved_ people. "Shino-kun, what's the name of the play again?"

"Tristan and Isolde." He says.

"...It's a romance." mutters Kiba, flipping through the book they were drawing inspiration from. "Okay, lemme read this. _The tale of Tristan and Isolde is a tragedy between two lovers fated to share a forbidden but abiding love_. Yikes. Tristan is a knight who serves King Mark–Holy shit, I call being the king!–and Isolde is a renowned healer."

"Sakura-chan should be Isolde." Hinata beams, "It makes the most sense."

"Ugh, do I have to?" Sure, it makes sense but... did she really want such an imposing role? This was more of Ino's forte than anything else. Acting was... not her style.

Hinata nods furiously. "You'd be amazing! I'll even make celebratory d-dinner tonight!"

"Well, only if dinner's included." teases Sakura, resigning herself to her fate. She turns to them to ask if Shino would be playing Tristan, only to find the two boys watching them with very suspicious expressions.

Kiba smiles smugly, "If you two wanna act married so badly, then you be Tristan, Hinata!"

"Wh–?" The Hyūga shakes her head profusely. "I-I can't be the _lead_! I can barely even–"

"You'll be fine." He says reassuringly.

Beside him, Shino nods. "Plus... you are the only possible option seeing as _this_ is the costume." He holds up a very skinny outfit with far too much room at the bust instead of anywhere else. "None of us can fit into it."

She groans, sinking down to her knees. Sakura pats her shoulder comfortingly, thinking that Hinata would put that tunic to shame once she put it on. But the problem would probably be _getting_ her to put it on. They had a long day ahead of them.

...

They spent a few hours revamping the script and making it slightly more politically-correct. Shino had been very adamant on making sure that the girls felt as powerful as the boys, since Tristan was now an ANBU officer directly serving Marke the Hokage–and although Isolde the medical-nin was famed, most people still preferred the ANBU.

Sakura furrows her brows, reading over the third draft. "I think this is pretty good so far. Not bad, Shino."

He nods and his chest puffs up with triumph. The premier of the play would be two days from now. They could do this.

"Akamaru gets to be the Nine-tailed fox that Tristan kills." says Kiba proudly, "He's the real star."

Hinata smiles and rubs the base of Akamaru's tail. "We h-have to work together, hm?"

He barks as if saying yes and settles his head on her lap. Sakura has to admit that Hinata looks perfectly natural when around animals too. It made sense, since her team commanded them. The dog seems to like her a lot, at least.

"Try acting out this scene." suggests Shino, pushing a slip of paper towards the girls. "This is where Isolde heals Tristan's wounds suffered through his battle with the fox and he brushes her off."

Hinata's eyes skim over the paper and she nods. "I'll... t-try my best!"

Sakura doesn't really like her costume, thinks it's too mesh-like, but it was the most they could do. Kakashi really owed them big time. "ANBU-san, your wounds are not yet healed."

"I'll be fine." Hinata says crossly, clutching her mask in her hand as she puts on a fake air of distress. "I do not need your help."

She huffs. "Then get up, force yourself to return to Hokage-sama and see if he'll accept a broken ANBU."

"I do not care! It is my lifelong duty to serve Hokage-sama." says Hinata, shying away from Sakura's touch as she leans forward to take her arm.

Sakura tilts her head to the side, "Oh really? You know, there's more to life than just servitude!"

She snorts. "Like what?"

"Something more than duty and death!" She exclaims, holding a hand to her chest, "Why are we capable of feelings if not to _have_ them? Why long for things if they are not meant to be ours? You may think serving your Hokage is all there is, but those around you are even more important. What would they think if you died here?"

"They would say that I died... with glory."

"Glory isn't everything." She protests. "What about love?"

Hinata frowns. "What about it?"

Sakura comes closer, ghosting her finger across Hinata's jaw, "...Don't you _want_ it?"

Having been completely immersed in the scene, Sakura realizes far too late that she's forgotten her next line and was leaning way, _way_ too close to Hinata. The Hyūga doesn't show signs that she's noticed, and her eyes are glazed and distant. Warning bells are going off in Sakura's head. There's no way she can finish this scene now that—

"I forgot my line!" yells Sakura, breaking character and scooting several feet away from Hinata who sits up and busies herself with gulping down an entire bottle of water. "What was the line again?"

Kiba and Shino are silent. She spares them a glance and finds that they are both feverishly plugging their nostrils up with tissues to block the bleeding. Sakura groans, "...Let's just finish this tomorrow."

"Agreed." Hinata and her team say at once, as they begin to pack up for the day.

...

In the end, they mutually agreed to cut all traces of romance seeing as how none of them could handle it maturely. The Academy students gave it a standing ovation, but only because Akamaru the Nine-Tails had completely stolen the show.

* * *

 **Nars:** No regrets. Give it up for that good acting though, Sakura and Hinata got way too into it. I agree tho.

*cough* Tomorrow's prompt is Fake Relationship and, uh, it's pretty self-explanatory. Please review :^)


	4. Fake Relationship

**Nars:** Can't even lie, I was so busy playing Dream Daddy that I forgot to update... _Oops_.

 **Chapter Summary:** Hanabi's fate in the Hyūga clan lies with the choice that Hinata has to make. The one thing they didn't count on was the outside intervention of a certain Sakura Haruno.  
 **Prompt:** Fake Relationship  
 **Word Count:** 2613

 **Disclaimer: Naruto/Naruto Shippuden belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. All characters mentioned belong solely to the aforementioned.**

* * *

It starts with her sister.

"Hey." says Hanabi in greeting, approaching Hinata as she buys fresh chicken for dinner. "Been a while, huh, Nee-chan?"

"I saw you yesterday, Hanabi." says Hinata lightly, tapping her sister's forehead teasingly. "Why are you not in the compound?"

Hanabi pouts. "It's boring!" She pokes experimentally at a pile of crabs inside a bin. They snap their pincers aimlessly but otherwise do nothing else. "Wish I moved out _with_ you."

"You wouldn't." She replies, placing a few select vegetables into her basket. "It's a lot of shared work."

"I'm used to that." shrugs the young Hyūga. "Anyways, I actually came to tell you something, Nee-chan."

Hinata's brows knit. "Ah?"

"...I'm getting branded with the cursed seal in two days."

She tries not to let her shock show, but a cold current ripples down her spine, chilling her to the bone. It had been so long since she heard anything about that damn seal and now Hanabi was finally being branded by it. This meant two things. She was going to the branch family and Hinata was now officially the prospective heiress. "I'll be there. What time...?"

"Sunset."

"I'll be there." She repeats, placing a hand to her sister's shoulder. "You know how I f-feel about the seal, Hanabi. Neji–"

Hanabi nods despondently, "Neji deserved more than it. I know."

Her late cousin would've taken care of Hanabi and made certain she were in safe hands. But if she goes there now, there are no allies for her. She'd always fit her father's strict standards, treated the branch family less than thoughtfully. She doesn't belong there.

Hinata doesn't want that mark so much as _nearing_ her sister. She clenches a fist. "I must talk to our f-father."

...

Then comes Kō who intercepts her as she returns home to the apartment she shares with Sakura. The mere thought of her sister being vulnerable in the branch house terrifies her. She wants so much more for her little sister. This isn't it.

"Hinata-sama." says Kō politely as she nears the road that leads to the loft. He still wears his flak jacket despite there not being many missions available. "How have you been?"

She manages a smile. "I'm fine, Kō-san. And you?"

"Ah, the same." He falls into step with her. "Will you be at Hanabi-sama's ceremony?"

Hinata nods. It shouldn't have surprised her that he'd bring it up. It must be all that the clan can talk about. She wonders if Kō would tell her father if she voices her concerns with it. Wisely, she doesn't make her opinions known. "You'll watch out for her, right, Kō-san?"

"Of course, Hinata-sama." He says, meeting her eyes. "Although, please keep in mind that Hiashi-sama only has your best interests at heart. Please do not be upset with him for it."

It was nice of Kō to worry about the way she'd view her father after this. But whatever conflict would come out of it wasn't his concern. She bids goodbye to him and makes her way home. She unlocks the door and places her shoes on the rack. "Sakura-chan, I'm back!" The lack of reply strikes her as strange, since Sakura's shoes are also on the rack and her hitai-ate is set on the table. She must be here somewhere.

Hinata deposits the food she'd picked up from the market on top of the kitchen counter. She shucks off her jacket and ties her hair back in preparation to cook.

She can't help it when she cuts into the chicken with a tad more force than what is necessary. It's the anger she feels for her clan that causes it. The Hyūga are not perfect, that much she knows better than anyone, but after Neji's death, somehow... she just thought that it would be different. Hanabi had been in training to be the heiress since she was _born_ , it wasn't fair to suddenly place the seal on her and then—

"Hinata-chan, what're you doing?"

She jolts, spinning around to find Sakura standing there with a towel slung around her neck. "S-Sakura-chan..."

Sakura smiles as she passes the towel through her wet hair, "Need any help?"

"No, it's alright." says Hinata, "Oh, um, by the way... I probably won't be here tomorrow or the day after. Hyūga things."

She laughs, "I hear ya. It's alright, I was planning on helping around the Hokage tower tomorrow." The weekends were her only times for leisure, just as it was Hinata's and yet neither of them seemed to _use_ it for leisure. "Let me help you cook."

"Can you boil the rice?"

"You got it."

They buzz around the kitchen together, making themselves a dinner fit for queens. They've been living here for over a month now and have yet to have a disagreement. Their routine has always worked for them, somehow. Hinata glances over at Sakura as she works on the rice, brows furrowed in concentration.

It's a cute look on her. Hinata frowns as soon as the thought crosses her mind. She isn't sure why she's been referring to her friend as cute these days more than ever. She also doesn't know why it bothers her to think as much.

"Something on your mind?" asks Sakura after a moment or two of silence. She scoops rice into two bowls and smiles encouragingly. "I'm all ears if you want to talk."

"It's nothing." says Hinata although it is anything but. She can't tell just anyone about Hyūga clan drama, no matter how much she trusts Sakura. She shouldn't waste her time either. Hinata pours the curry on top of the rice, spooning two large helpings of chicken on the top. "Let's eat."

Sakura nods, though she doesn't appear that convinced. They bring the bowls to the dining table and dig in together.

...

"Father." says Hinata sternly the next day as she and her father sit on the porch and watch the garden aimlessly. It had become a favourite pastime of his lately to come out here instead of sit inside his residence. "We must talk." She fears that if he fixes her with his trademark side-eye that she may lose all nerve. So she understandably doesn't look at him and instead watches the clouds as they amble by. Hinata takes a sip of her tea in anticipation. "I–"

"–Don't wish for Hanabi to be branded, am I correct?" He interjects calmly.

"I–yes..." She admits. A part of her has begun to see that this may be a ploy, just something part of Hiashi Hyūga's master plan to ensnare her in clan politics.

He chuckles, but there is no humour in it. "Did you truly believe that I wouldn't predict as much? You've made your distaste of our seal very clear after Neji died."

"...I do not w-want Hanabi to be subject to it." She explains cautiously, "She deserves to–"

"More Hyūga than not have lived with this seal for as long as they are able to remember." He points out. "Hanabi will adjust."

"She should not have to be cast away after so long of being of the main house!" protests Hinata, briefly hoping that she didn't overstep her place and annoy her father even more.

"I know that you would gladly take the seal if it meant your sister would not have to, which is why I present to you an ultimatum."

Hinata clamps up and nods sombrely, waiting for this proposition.

"Haruhito Hyūga has expressed his interest in marrying you, Daughter. It is a most beneficial marriage, considering that he is one of Hokage-sama's most trusted ANBU officer." says Hiashi.

She swallows the growing lump in her throat harshly, feeling panic and anger well to her eyes in the form of tears. Now it makes sense. Marry someone of his choosing in exchange for Hanabi's freedom. One person's liberty for another's. Is that how it would work from now on? "I see." She murmurs.

"You have until sunset tomorrow to craft me a reply, Hinata." Hiashi says, standing up and retreating down the corridor. "Do not disappoint me."

She sits there for a few more moments, fear and wrath completely overwhelming her. She clenches her fists and looks up to the skies as a grey bird passes by. "Neji-nii... Are we _ever_ truly free?" She asks to no one in particular. Unsurprisingly, there is no reply. Just the biting wind against her cheek.

...

Sakura heard Hinata come in all the way from her room. She'd never heard her shut the door quite so loud before... A part of her wonders if it's even her at all, as she tears down the hallway, ready to take down a stranger.

Perhaps she is right to have suspected a stranger, because the Hyūga standing before her is anyone but Hinata. She looks visibly frazzled, upset and a variety of other emotions that Sakura has never seen on her. "Are you... okay?" She asks.

Hinata shakes her head, for once, finally opening up to her roommate and friend. "My father arranged a marriage for m-me."

Sakura is taken aback. "Are you serious?"

She nods despondently, hanging her coat up and sitting down on the couch with a huff. "I have to a-answer him by tomorrow."

"What the hell?" Sakura follows suit, sitting beside Hinata with fire blazing in her eyes. "That's _not_ fair. Who's this person anyways?" She hopes it isn't someone she knows, because she isn't sure she'll be able to keep from hurting (or sternly talking to) them.

Hinata cringes. "To keep the bloodline s-strong and _pure_ , we have t–"

"Marry another Hyūga?"

She nods grimly. "And he's ANBU."

Sakura is tempted to make a joke about how their line of work usually involves dying on the job, but somehow that would probably make this worse. She says nothing and rubs Hinata's shoulder consolingly, "...What are you going to do?"

Hinata offers a shrug and then looks away. "Give him an answer."

...

"Ino, it's not _fair_." gripes Sakura the next day as she helps Ino cut thorns from flowers. "He just trapped her."

Her blonde friend snorts, "There's not much you can actually do, ya know. It's all Hyūga shit."

Sakura sighs, placing a handful of hydrangeas into a vase, "It's not right." Usually, she'd never bring up another friend's personal problems but she trusted Ino not to tell anyone. Hinata deserved the privacy. But if they went through with this marriage... the rest of the village would know soon too. "Hinata-chan has much more to do than just get _married_."

"I'm sure Hiashi knows that." says Ino, "And he wants her to succeed _without_ outside intervention. That's how clans work, Billboard."

Sakura still wanted to do something. She was (unofficially) Hinata's family. "Does he even know what Hinata-chan's capable of?"

"Her own _father?"_ gasps Ino sarcastically, "Surely not." She drizzles water on the roots of a potted ficus. "I'm surprised your pigheadedness hasn't caused you to march down to Hiashi and yell at him already."

She snorts, "Like I'd _yell_ at him." Maybe not shout, but... prove her points. This gave her an idea, a risky one, but still worth the shot. "Ino, I'm leaving!"

"Do _not_ go to the Hyūga compound!"

"Sorry, it's too late." She shoots a semi-apologetic look over her shoulder and then hustles down the streets in search of the Hyūga residence.

...

Hiashi had spent the morning tending to the final preparations of Hanabi's ceremony. The girl in question had not let on that she was afraid, but he could see it in the way she held herself with faux-confidence and lashed out at others that she was anxious. Hinata, on the other hand, stayed pointedly away from him, twiddling her thumbs (he'd not seen her fidget this much for quite a while) and avoiding him at every cost.

He meets eyes with a Hyūga elder who inclines their head respectfully and stumbles off. Had it not been for their nettling about tradition, perhaps Hanabi could've gotten off scot-free. But the clan had a very particular way of doing things. Just as Hizashi had been branded for being the younger son, Hanabi would be sealed as the youngest daughter.

He activates his Byakugan in search of Kō and instead is met by the unmistakable chakra signature of Tsunade's apprentice. This ought to be interesting. He flexes his fingers and slips away from his daughters, striding down the corridor to meet his unexpected guest at the door. The Hyūga guards posted at the door look at him worriedly as he plasters on a bemused expression and lets the door slide open.

"To what do I owe the honour of your visit, Haruno-san?"

Sakura Haruno, Tsunade's volatile apprentice, with all of her brute strength if not more. She comes from civilian parents, lacks a noble bloodline, and yet is one of the most respected kunoichi in all of Konohagakure. She cannot intimidate him but she intrigues him. No doubt, she was here because of Hinata.

He wonders why she bothers with his daughter at all, living with her, interacting with her, when she is so much more renowned. Friendships can transcend even skill, though.

"I think you already know why I'm here." She says and her eyes proclaim determination. Her insolence is incomparable, but he can see the way she is holding herself back. That, he thinks, is the work of his daughter. She has as much of Hinata in herself as Hinata does of her. How curious.

"Let us talk in my office, then."

...

When her father suddenly disappears from the room where the ceremony is to take place, Hinata knows that something must be wrong. She resists the urge to hug her sister who has begun to mope as the afternoon sun begins to peak. Soon, all of the Hyūga clan members will be gathered, ready to condemn Hanabi to a life in the branch house and to pledge allegiance to Hinata as heiress.

Before sunset, she must have her answer for her father.

Hinata had not gotten much sleep as she mulled over her fate. Hanabi would hold it against her forever if she declined to marry this ANBU officer her father had put forward. At the same time, so would the rest of the clan. They wanted to see her stand beside someone of high standing. While she could do so on her own without their intervention, it would not be now.

"Nee-chan, what's wrong?" asks Hanabi suddenly, peering at her with a rather perplexed expression on her face.

She shakes off her question and smiles, "N-Nothing, Hanabi. Don't worry." Her answer was clear. Better now than never. She stands, brushing off dust from her yukata and makes her way to her father's office.

She passes Kō in the hallway leading to the study and he gives her a wide-eyed stare. "Hinata-sama!"

"Is my father in his office?" She asks him quietly, finding his panic a bit unusual.

"Yes, Hinata-sama, but he is..." He frowns, "Occupied, I suppose."

Who was in there? She glances down at her feet, wondering to herself if it was Haruhito Hyūga here to snatch her up. She activates her Byakugan and eavesdrop into the room. Her father is there, the splitting image of tranquility and in front of him sits–"Sakura-chan..."

Suddenly, all semblance of manners fly out of the window as she pushes the door open and strides in, just in time to hear Sakura blurt–"Hinata-chan can't get married to the man you want because **_we're_** together!"

All the air leaves her body in one fell swoop and then she hits the ground and everything goes black.

* * *

 **Nars:** Next one coming atchu is _Betrayal_ , so we got some angst. I'm posting it along this one in a few minutes (or hours) to get caught up cause I'm a shit. Review pls :^)


	5. Betrayal

**Nars:** I'm so behind but you know what, I'm just gonna take it slow, add more words and make this good. Also, maybe I didn't mention this before, but Hinata is a Jōnin now.

 **Chapter Summary:** It's not quite jealousy but at the same time, it _is_. Sakura doesn't know what she feels.  
 **Prompt:** Betrayal  
 **Word Count:** 1852

 **Disclaimer: Naruto/Naruto Shippuden belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. All characters mentioned belong solely to the aforementioned.**

* * *

Word spreads quickly in a village like Konohagakure. If one whispers into the wind, it'll reach the ears of several people. Naturally, when Sakura and Hinata reveal that they are dating, the village _devours_ it.

Everywhere they go, people congratulate them on their relationship and send them wishes of prosperity and actually ask them when they plan to get married. They put them on a pedestal and refer to them as the power couple of Konoha.

If only they knew how artificial the relationship truly was.

...

"Hinata-chan, I said I was sorry!" cries Sakura, following after the irate Hyūga.

The girl in question spins on her heel, a sort of desperation leaking into her voice as she speaks. "My f-father believes it for now but what happens later if he finds out that we're lying?!"

She sighs, scrubbing a hand through her hair. "I just–I was thinking about helping you _now_! I couldn't stand by and let you be–"

"Sakura-chan," says Hinata, damn near tears. "You're in clan politics n-now. Th-They're going to bleed you dry, I... I never wanted to get you involved."

She shakes her head and says "I got _myself_ involved. It's not your fault, Hinata-chan."

Hinata frowns. She lifts her hand towards Sakura, allowing her fingers to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you, still..."

Too stunned to move, Sakura struggles with the words she needs to say. They won't come out. Instead, she settles for a mediocre "What are friends for?"

The Hyūga snorts and wraps her arms around the taller girl's waist. "You can't say that if we're o-outside."

Sakura stifles a bout of laughter and nods, burying her cheek against a crown of dark hair. "Yeah."

They stay there for a bit, both of them stewing in their own little worlds of tumultuous feelings that threaten to fill up their lungs and drown them from the inside. This relationship–this... whatever it was, felt wrong.

Sakura's mother had always told her not to hide her feelings or write them off, and yet...

She felt as though she was doing just that.

...

The worse thing about harbouring a fake relationship was the deceit. No matter the target, you had to fool all to fool the one. The Hyūgas were the only one who needed to be fooled and yet Hinata found herself lying to everyone in the village.

She plasters on fake smiles when people give her gifts and egg her on about her girlfriend. She improvises excuses as to why she can't stay and chat about her relationship. She avoids questions as if they were kunai raining down. It's so wrong she's begun to feel as though it's right.

"You know..." Kiba muses as they sort mission scrolls in the academy. "I always thought there was something up with you two. Ya should've told me you were dating!"

Hinata smiles weakly and hands a scroll to a group of genin students. "Mhm..."

He snickers, tilting his head, "So... what happened with Naruto? Did that just–what, _end_?"

 _Naruto_. It's been so long since she's even heard that name. What would he make of this situation when he came back? It was different with Naruto, he was someone she greatly admired for his spirit, drive and determination. With Sakura, it was... The pink-haired girl's smile flashed in her mind and made her heart _ache_. Was there even a difference anymore?

Once upon a time, there had been a line separating her platonic relationships from the romantic ones. Until now, the line had been very rigid. Hinata questions its very existence. She shakes her head, remembering that Kiba is still waiting for an answer and offers only a shrug. "I... don't know."

"Poor guy. If he ever comes back, he's gonna find out that every girl in Konoha is taken." Kiba suddenly frowned. "Wait, shit, every girl in Konoha is _taken_..." He slipped into a sullen state of realizing the chances of him ever finding love were slim, and she smiled and patted his shoulder while continuing on with their work.

His statement sits heavy in her mind though.

When is Naruto coming back to Konoha–to his home—to the place he belongs? The village would gladly welcome him back with open arms and probably ask why on earth he bothered to go after the elusive Uchiha and a million other things. And then they would catch him up on the gossip and mention _'Oh yeah, Hinata Hyūga and Sakura Haruno started to date!'_ and him, being him, would... congratulate her with that **look**.

She doesn't even know if she can face him with the lies. She sure as hell doesn't want to.

...

Hinata is in the Jōnin Standby Station when she feels a tiny surge of chakra that is everything if not painstakingly familiar. At first, she really can't believe it and doesn't trust her own eyes–until she turns on her Byakugan and... lo and behold.

"Naruto-kun..." She whispers and breaks out in a run.

A small crowd has formed by the time she gets there, comprised of mostly civilians who pass the name 'Naruto' between their lips like water. It can't be. She pushes past a few people, squeezing through the mob and whispering frantic apologies until she reaches the front. She feels as though a cold bucket of water had been tipped over the top of her head, considering the shiver that courses through her body.

Naruto Uzumaki has come back to the village.

He greets people warily, smiling and laughing along with them as though he was never gone at all. She can't make her legs move. Naruto scans the crowd and then he sees her and she finds that she's even more frozen in place. "Hinata-chan!" He says, shoulders slumping with what appears to be relief. "I'm so glad to see you!"

Her words aren't working the way she wants them to. There are a million things she wants to tell him and they all range from emotional confessions of missing him to demanding he explain why it's taken him so long to return. She doesn't do either. Instead she gathers up her breath and says, "I'll take you t-to see Hokage-sama."

Naruto pauses, regarding her curiously for a bit before nodding, "Sounds good."

She reaches out, despite her conscience screaming at her in her head, and takes his hand, smiling apologetically at the growing crowd as she pushes past them. Hinata justifies touching him as necessary in order to transport him to Hokage-sama. Deep in her heart, she knows it's a lie. She just wants to know if it feels the way it did before. Numbness blossoms from the tips of her fingers where they hold Naruto's wrist gingerly.

Touching him doesn't make her nearly as flustered as it once did. Things have changed.

...

By the end of the day, Naruto Uzumaki is declared a permanent citizen again.

Hinata is called to the Sixth's office towards the evening when the sun has long disappeared below the horizon and the stars have begun to come out. She knocks once, waits for the approval and then enters.

Naruto is lounging on the chair across the Hokage, Iruka is sitting next to him, and the Hokage appears more bored than anything else. She's happy to see that Naruto is being welcomed back with opened arms, despite running off like he did. "Hokage-sama?" She says tentatively.

"Hinata-chan, you don't mind being Naruto's escort for the rest of the week, do you?" says the Sixth cheerfully. The way he phrases the question doesn't leave her much room to decline. She manages a nod, eyes darting from Naruto to Kakashi as she attempts to debunk what might've gone on before she arrived. "Or, do you have plans with Sakura?"

"No!" She says quickly, plastering on a polite smile. "I-It's fine, Hokage-sama..."

Naruto stands up and grins, "I'll be back tomorrow, Sensei!"

"It's Hokage, actually." says Kakashi, but there isn't much bite to it. Hinata bows at the remaining occupants of the room before leading Naruto down and out of the office. He is humming a tune she can't quite place, looking more than comfortable despite the controversy surrounding his return. He went after Sasuke. But Sasuke hadn't come back with him.

She wonders what the deal is behind that.

"So, you and Sakura, huh?" says Naruto for the sake of conversation. She looks over at him, startled. He smiles wolfishly. "Sensei loves to gossip."

Makes sense. Everyone probably knows by now. She nods, despite not wanting to, but remains quiet.

Naruto grumbles, rubbing his stomach. "Man, I'm hungry..." His eyes flicker up to the sign they pass on the way to Naruto's apartment. He stops walking and jerks a thumb at the sign that reads 'Yakiniku Q'. "Hinata-chan, can we stop here? I'll treat ya!"

She knows for a fact that there is no way he has enough money for them both, even without using her Byakugan. She smiles, "Alright... But I'm p-paying."

He pouts. "It's my treat, though!"

"It's your w-welcome back present." Hinata giggles. "Okay?"

Naruto purses his lips and then shrugs, and they head in together. She has a strong inkling that the conversation in there is going to be strictly about her and Sakura. God, she wishes Sakura were there too.

...

Sakura heard that Naruto was back midway through her double shift at the hospital. No matter how much she wanted to go see how he's doing, she couldn't very well leave on her own accord. So she waited for an opening, and waited and waited and then evening fell.

"I'm heading home." says Sakura to a fellow medic-nin who waves her off and thanks her profusely for her hard work. She shucks off her scrubs and hangs it up in her locker, running a hand through her hair as she prepares to go scope out the blond goofball. The fact that she hadn't heard Sasuke's name could only mean that he hadn't come back with him. There's a story there that she isn't familiar with, but she'll get to the bottom of it soon.

She opts to search for Ino who most likely knows the whereabouts of Naruto (nothing gets by her) and as she makes her way to the flower shop, catches sight of a head of blond hair. "Nar—!"

And then she stops. He's with someone. Not just anyone... _Hinata_. They appear to be chatting, just like friends or... or more, and then he's pointing to Yakiniku Q and negotiating it with Hinata who laughs and then caves. Then they go in. Together.

It's not quite jealousy but at the same time, it _is_. They look so good together, so natural despite Hinata's timid nature and Naruto's overbearing personality. At least they can be a real couple... if Hinata hadn't gone and done _that_. Her heart has betrayed her and it hurts more than she thought it would.

Sakura smiles self-deprecatingly and decides to talk to Naruto tomorrow morning instead. She turns and starts to head back to the apartment.

Sasuke's _face_ never once crosses her mind. Things have changed.

* * *

 **Nars:** Whoops, they're becoming self-aware. Next prompt is _Wedding Day._ Not whose you think, I promise :)


	6. Wedding Day

**Nars:** Sorry for being absent, I just had no inspiration till recently. In response, here's a really long chapter!

 **Chapter Summary:** Leading up to an important wedding, Sakura and Hinata reflect on their feelings for each other without actually communicating properly.  
 **Prompt:** Wedding Day  
 **Word Count:** 4700

 **Disclaimer: Naruto/Naruto Shippuden belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. All characters mentioned belong solely to the aforementioned.**

* * *

Shikamaru will be the first of their cohort to get married.

He and Temari send out invitations about a week after Naruto is back in Konoha, and the village radiates excitement, congratulating the couple that most people hadn't even known were engaged. Apparently Ino could keep a secret when she really tried.

The wedding itself was slated for a weekend one month later, held in a shrine and limited only to family, Shikamaru's teammates, and the Hokage. After the ceremony, there would be a gaudy reception that wasn't for the couple as much as it was the rest of their friends to get hopelessly drunk at.

Hinata awakens to a knock on her door one morning. She activates her Byakugan as she climbs out of bed and finds that Temari is standing outside their door. Immediately, she knows that it has to be something about the wedding. Hinata opens the door and smiles politely, "Temari-san, good morning."

"Did I wake you? Sorry." says the blonde woman uneasily. "Is Sakura-san in?"

"Yes, but she's s-still asleep."

Temari looks genuinely uncomfortable and it makes Hinata wonder what exactly she'd come to talk about. After a moment of hesitation, she sighs, "I wanted to ask if you two could help with my reception."

"The... reception?" blinks Hinata, "Do you mean–"

"Ah... Yeah, with planning." She admits sheepishly, "I'm kind of a lost cause and Ino says it has to be big because of the guest list so..."

Hinata figured as much. This wedding would essentially join Suna and Konoha together like string and it was bound to be well-celebrated. "I w-would love to help. When Sakura-chan wakes up, she–"

"Hey, who's at the door?"

Hinata turns to find Sakura ambling towards them, stifling a yawn with her palm and then blinking in surprise at the sight of Temari. "Oh, good morning, Temari-chan! What's going on?"

She quickly recaps what Temari had told her to Sakura who smiles brightly, all traces of sleep gone from her face. "We'd love to." says Sakura. "And we'll help with anything we can. Just say the word."

Temari bows again, thanks them once more and after promising to give them more information as it becomes available, takes her leave.

Hinata cannot help but feel for Temari. She would be going through this stage of marriage pretty much alone. Nobody their age had taken that step just yet. She was paving the way for everyone, and that was a bit intimidating to say the least.

"I've never planned a wedding before..." Hinata mumbles as she closes the door.

Sakura nods. "Yeah, me neither." Her expression shifts the wall clock and she purses her lips. "That time already? I'm going to take a shower."

Hinata sets about making them breakfast, trying to banish the discomfort that fills her when she thinks of just how much Sakura seems to loathe being near her. This past week had felt a lot like she was being avoided, starting from the day Naruto had returned. And in the event that Sakura couldn't avoid her, she was making every excuse in the book not to bother her.

But no matter how much Hinata wanted to broach the issue, there was no way Sakura would concede to speaking about it.

And so they would remain uncomfortable in their own home, until someone finally cracked.

...

Temari did make good on the promise to involve them in wedding preparations, and that included all aspects of it.

Hinata and Sakura had been dragged all over town by the bride-to-be and Ino (the chaotic enabler), searching for decor, equipment, and especially a venue. Eventually, due to the fact that it was spring and the wedding would take place in mid-April, they simply decided to hold it outside in a pavilion that would soon be surrounded by sakura blossoms.

Hinata had noted, albeit dryly, that after being guided through the motions by Ino, Temari was really getting into the preparations.

So far, she had witnessed Temari compare two types of cake for twenty minutes straight, scrutinize table clothes for longer, then complain about her inability to pick a colour scheme that matches with spring.

And it's only 10 AM.

"It's a good thing I took the whole day off from the hospital..." murmurs Sakura while watching Ino teach Temari all there was to know about acceptable centrepiece flowers while the bride-to-be tries not to look apprehensive.

It was also a good thing that Ino owned this flower shop, because Hinata could not envision this chaos going any better in someone else's.

She nods her assent, chewing on her bottom lip nervously. "I hope Temari-san isn't feeling overwhelmed..."

A wedding ceremony, reception or otherwise, was... a lot. Her head spins just thinking about all of the small details that always seem trivial but are anything but.

The chimes atop the door ring out gently as it opens. They both turn their attention to the newly-arrived figure and see Rock Lee who is carrying a box of ceramic vases. He smiles brightly, "Good morning, Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan!"

"Hey, Lee." says Sakura, raising a brow. "What're you up to?"

"Oh, me? I am–"

"Lee! Bring the vases here!" barks Ino as the man in question jolts and jogs towards her obediently like a little lapdog. "I said to bring me the purple ones! Do these look purple to you?"

He stares heatedly at the items in the little box, brows furrowing. "Y-Yes, it does..."

"Well... you're right." Ino says, patting his shoulder. "Thanks for helping! I'll call if I need anything!"

"Right!" He says brightly with another salute, unperturbed by Ino's mood swings. Truly a man deserving of the world, Hinata thinks to herself as he waves goodbye to the occupants left in the store and then hastily makes his escape.

"Lee is Shikamaru's so-called 'gopher'." says Sakura, dropping her voice to a whisper, "Basically, he's doing his bidding and has to 'go for' all the things he needs."

"Oh." She remarks. Lee has always been a hopeless romantic, captivate by the idea of 'loving love'. She hopes he finds someone to partake in all of this cutesy romance stuff with.

Just hopefully not Sakura.

Hinata freezes. Just what kind of thought was that? She's surprised at herself for even thinking such a thing. She isn't even dating Sakura for real, so where exactly did she get off believing she could think something as possessive as that?

Without thinking much of it, Hinata's gaze drifts to Sakura's face and she feels her cheeks redden. The pink-haired girl notices, halfway through clipping a thorn off a rose. "You okay?" She wonders absently.

"N-No, I mean yes!" She squeaks, embarrassed for having been caught. Hinata ducks her head and exhales inaudibly.

"I think Naruto's doing some runnings in Sunagakure. He'll be at the wedding as well." muses Sakura aloud.

That isn't as much of a surprise. Hinata knows that the two of them (Shikamaru and Naruto) are indeed good friends and have been for quite some time. That's the whole reason Naruto came back. That much, she is certain of.

That just means that if it wasn't for the wedding, Naruto wouldn't have returned and he'd be out there, traveling like a nomad either with Sasuke or in hot pursuit of him...

Sakura smiles, "Hinata-chan, don't worry. He'll be home soon."

Hinata, to her credit, is more than a little confused as to what that is supposed to mean. All this talk of Naruto when she never brought it up... She blinks, "That's n-not what I–"

"Hey, lovebirds! We're going to the catering place, come on!" yells Ino, waving at them from the door and subsequently causing Hinata to never finish that thought.

Sakura smiles again, "We'd better go."

Hinata sighs and follows after the wedding crew. Without even intending it, Sakura has yet again proven to Hinata that she still knows absolutely nothing about her roommate.

...

As the day of the wedding steadily approaches, Sakura continues to put notable distance between herself and her roommate.

If she could have it, she'd go back in time and undo everything she ever said to Hiashi Hyūga, if not just to make things better for Hinata's affections for Naruto.

She should have known better. Hinata has been in love with Naruto for years and years. She had no right to intervene the way she did.

"Sakuraaa, you good?"

The pink-haired girl looks up at the sound of her name and remembers where she is. Right. She and Naruto are at Ichiraku Ramen together. "I'm fine." She says, fishing for another fishcake within her soup. "More importantly, you still haven't told me where you've been all these months. Did you find him or didn't you?"

Naruto falls silent and she looks over at him imploringly. Rather than a sheepish 'Nah' or a 'That idiot won't come back!', his expression is swimming with discontentment. She knows that her work at the hospital has separated her from her teammates, but that doesn't mean she still doesn't care.

"He's working up to it, ya know." Naruto says finally, "He'll be here real soon."

"Good." She responds. "Because you came back for good so he might as well do the same."

Sakura knows that she's going out on a limb saying that. She knows that. But she still can't help but hope that just maybe, Naruto will go after Sasuke one more time, and never give Hinata the chance to confess her feelings to him.

Her fist tightens over her lap and she fights to calm herself down. Such awful, selfish thoughts had been impeding her mind these past few weeks. It isn't her place to tell Hinata not to confess her feelings. If she wants to do so, then she damn well could.

A part of her just doesn't want to lose Hinata or watch her pack all of her things away after Naruto proposes to her and she gets an apartment with him and leaves Sakura all alone.

But that's just plain selfish. She has no right to ever ask that of her. Even if her feelings for Sasuke were all but gone, Sakura knows that she can't keep doing this.

If she was going to pine away for Hinata like this, then she was going to do so as quietly and desperately as possible.

...

Ino bursts into the apartment one afternoon when Hinata is meditating.

"We need dresses!" She shrieks as Hinata cracks an eye open and observes the scene before her.

Did they leave the door open or did Ino break the lock? It was probably loose now from all the times it had been broken by overpowered shinobi trying to use the bathroom (Kiba had a problem). Hinata exhales, "Sakura-chan isn't home..."

"I came here for you! She's is too busy working." She retorts, "Hinata-chan... do you have a dress for this wedding?"

The words 'of course' die on her tongue when she truly thinks about it. All of her dresses were either too fancy or too formal. She has hundreds of yukatas but one, wedding-appropriate, fancy dress is not part of it. Not to mention she'd broken one of her pin heels in the move to the apartment. She has no clothes for this wedding.

Hinata shoots to her feet, "We need to g-go."

"The new boutique closes in four hours." Ino points out as Hinata grabs her purse.

They leave the apartment and Ino develops a plan of attack as to which stores they can hit in a specific order. It's been a while since Hinata had spent some time with Ino that hasn't also included Sakura and/or Temari.

The boutique is a chic new place nestled between a shoe store and a tailor. Hinata can't help but note that it's a sound business venture. The three stores would garner good business from the two of them, should this go as planned. She doesn't quite want to explore more stores than necessary so she hopes this place has what she needs.

"Smells rich." remarks Ino as she marches into the store, Hinata on her heels.

The door opens with a click, revealing hundreds of dresses that makes Hinata's head spin. By the time she looks back at Ino, the blonde is already gone, sifting through racks of deep purple dresses.

"What do you think of this one?" wonders Ino as Hinata absent-mindedly looks at a blue dress with a keyhole in the centre. It's too much for her but Ino would rock it.

Hinata blanches as soon as it registers what Ino has in her hand. "Is that the b-back?" The extremely low-cut dress with a plunging neckline taunts Hinata with the knowledge that a piece of fabric was scaring her. "It-It's a bit much..."

"Is it? Guess you can't wear that." She shrugs, putting it back on its rack.

Her eyes widen, "Wait, that was for m-me?!"

"Duh, I'm nothing if not a good friend who wants to get you a hot dress." She scoffs, "Do you have anything in mind, then?"

"Something, um..." Her expression brightens when she notices a dress on display that covers the neck area and looks appropriate for this wedding. "Like that."

"Ohh, okay, I guess that's pretty cute." Ino comments as she saunters over to it. "In red, though? You'd look good in blue."

"Th-Thank you." She responds though she doesn't have a colour in mind herself. Most of her clothes, she'd noticed, were pink and/or purple. She rarely had a spot of blue in her closet.

"There's some more colours here. Come pick one you like." says her friend as she pinpoints the location of more dresses in that design. The ambience of this shop is nice, Hinata has to admit. It feels very peaceful, like she won't have to worry about being seen or–

"Y'know, I didn't just force you to come with me because I needed a dress. I figured you'd end up here sooner or later." Ino begins, "I actually wanted to know if you and Sakura are okay."

"Wh-What do you mean?" She asks, hoping her heart would stop beating as quickly as it was.

"She's acting so weird lately. I asked her if she wanted to hang out with us today and she said no. I know damn well she can leave the hospital whenever she wants, so..."

Hinata's shoulders drop. "If I did something, she won't tell m-me." If Ino was noticing it too, then there was definitely something wrong.

"Not to mention, every time I say your name she tells me something about Naruto." Ino shakes her head, "Hinata-chan, are you still in love with Naruto?"

She can't very well lie to Ino because she might as well be lying to a brick wall. Hinata sighs, "N-No, I'm not. After all, Sakura-chan and I are–"

"I also know you two aren't really dating. You can't fool me."

And there it is. Hinata grimaces, "Y-You knew?"

"Yeah, I thought it was a little quick and I know what she looks like when she's falling hard." Ino snorts, and then sighs. "But, look. I don't want you get the wrong idea about Sakura. She's a stubborn idiot but she's still selfless in the end. Even if she does feel something, she won't just tell you. You have to beat it out of her." She makes a fist and slaps it against her open palm. "Like physically. Y'know how long it took for her to admit she doesn't like Sasuke anymore? It was l–"

"I-Ino-chan, wait." Hinata pauses, "She... doesn't l-love him?"

"Nah... Okay, I'm lying. She still loves him as a teammate and she still loves Naruto as a brother, but that's all it'll ever be. Trust me." She grins and tosses her hair over her shoulder. "I didn't spend my whole life with that idiot not to be able to read her like a book."

Sakura no longer loved Sasuke just as she no longer loved Naruto. What was Hinata supposed to do from here on out? She presses a palm to her cheek and breathes in and then out.

"Oh my god, Hinata-chan, come look at these ones!" cries Ino, having already disappeared to another row of gowns.

Hinata smiles despite herself and hurries after her. She wonders if Sakura knows just how valuable of a friend Ino is. She also wonders if she can ever work up the nerve to ask Sakura what was bothering her.

Hinata knows, deep down, that if she does that and deigns to ask that question and get the truth, that something will change. Things will never be the same between them and the fragile relationship they share will come crashing down at her feet. It's the right thing to do, ask despite her own discomfort, but it is nothing if not short of terrifying.

She doesn't think that she's ready for that. Not yet.

...

Days filled with more trivial preparations, a few scheduled breakdowns for an exasperated Ino, and the final, final touches, pass by.

Soon enough, the anticipated wedding is finally upon them and the village is filled to the brim with Konoha natives and Suna guests alike, all eager to see the lazy genius and the Sungakagure princess marry.

As soon as the ceremony ended, the reception would follow all the way into the early morning hours. Due to the nature of the ceremony, she and Sakura would only be attending the reception since they weren't family or terribly close friends with the marrying couple.

While Ino was probably awake since dawn, Hinata had the liberty to wake at 10 and get ready at a leisurely pace.

Hinata leans closer to the mirror and attaches the new pair of earrings to her ears. She has to be down at the pavilion by 2 to help set up–as does Sakura. Hinata pauses for a moment and listens for any sounds Sakura has yet to make from her own room.

The pink-haired girl had been almost entirely silent all day. Granted, they hadn't been awake long, but still. Hinata sighs and touches a curl on the end of her hair languidly. She'd tried something new for once and couldn't deny that it looked good. Ino's hair tricks were doing wonders.

Hinata stares at her dress in the mirror as her mind drifts. Were Temari and Shikamaru married by now? The ceremonies tended to last long but that was only if there were many frivolities. Temari had set aside all of the luxuries for the reception.

This reception was mostly just for show anyways. The rest of the world had to know that the war was nothing but an obstacle in the way of renewed peace for the Shinobi nations. They had to see it for themselves, celebrate just as heavy as the friends of the couple would be.

In the end, she had chosen a cheongsam for the wedding. It was light blue and lined with azure and gold for all of the excessive trimmings. Her mindset had been that the versatility of the outfit would allow her to wear it other places as well.

She glances at the clock and frowns. It's almost time to leave. "Sakura-chan?" She calls, opening the door a crack. "Are you almost r-ready?"

"Yeah! One second!" calls the other girl from her room. Hinata can hear some muttering but she doesn't know if that was intended for her or if Sakura was rambling to herself about something. She elects to ignore it in favour of grabbing her new shoes and carrying it to the foyer. Ino had goaded her into buying pin heels, citing that she looked sexy in them. She had to learn how to use them eventually anyways.

"I couldn't find my hair clip but I finally found it in m–" Sakura, in the midst of her sentence stops and stares blatantly. "You look... beautiful, Hinata-chan."

To her credit, Hinata only feels somewhat lightheaded from the compliment. "Th-Thank you. It's new..." Her roommate's eyes were beginning to unnerve her, but she was determined to stand her ground. "You were saying?"

"...I can't remember." She admits and shrugs. "We should get going. We'll get to congratulate them first."

Hinata nods and puts on the shoes. When she stands, she feels the strange new height change and nearly completely falls over. "I sh-should've broke these in before now..."

"Hold on to me if anything." Sakura replies, and then her eyes widen. "I mean, it'll uh, help."

Hinata is certain it would. She could be stubborn, try her best and work through this... But she wants to be a little selfish. "Thank you." She says and opens the door. "I th-think I will."

As they make off for the pavilion, Hinata reluctantly (despite her wildly shaking nerves) reaches out and takes Sakura's hand. She feels the other woman tense up, but her fingers eventually loosen as she gets accustomed to it.

"I l-like your dress." Hinata murmurs quietly.

"This old thing? I wear it so often Ino's gonna try and kill me." She jokes, "But... thanks. I love yours too."

"You already said that."

"No, I said you were beautiful." Sakura retorts, "Now I'm saying your dress is beautiful too!"

Hinata smiles before the words finally register to its full degree. Sakura really had no shame in saying these things to her, didn't she? Hinata worries her bottom lip between her teeth as she awkwardly glances away. By her side, Sakura does the same.

They stew in their flustered state of being for all of two minutes before they reach the wedding pavilion. It is mostly already decorated and there are even some people already there.

Hinata sweeps her eyes over the occupants, recognizing the newly married couple who are brimming pride, Lee, Ino, Chouji, and–

"Wow! You look great, Hinata-chan!" chirps Naruto as he bounds up to she and Sakura. His eyes briefly flicker down at their conjoined hands and in response, Sakura lets go.

Hinata wants to chase her back, entwine their fingers again, but she knows that would be asking for too much, calling unwanted attention to herself. She nurses her hand behind her back, smiling meekly. "Thank you... You look nice too, Naruto-kun."

"Hehe, you think? Shikamaru had to bribe me into this suit but, ah well." He grins. "You guys congratulate Temari and Shikamaru yet?"

"We literally just got here, idiot." snorts Sakura as she meets Hinata's gaze. "We should, though. See what we can help with."

"Okay." She nods and then waves at Naruto politely. "See you s-soon."

He saunters off to bother Chouji who is setting a plate of tempura on the table. Hinata's mouth is watering at the sight of all that food but she is determined not to show her hunger.

Sakura has finally rejoined their hands. Hinata wants to pretend as though she really can't walk in her heels, if only just to burrow closer to Sakura, but now is not the time.

A part of her is asking herself when is the right time then. She hopes that part of her will learn to shut up soon.

"Congratulations, you two." says Sakura, effectively grabbing the newly-married couple's attention. "How's it feel to be husband and wife?"

"Tiring." quips Shikamaru but his smile still doesn't waver. "What about you two? This is new."

"Oh, yes..." Hinata says sheepishly. "It's a b-bit new..."

"You're cute together." says Temari. "Maybe you two will be the next wedding we go to."

"Awh, stop teasing us." giggles Sakura, unaffected despite their words.

Hinata wonders if she is the only one who is made painfully aware of the total and utter lie that they are telling. She feels guilty for the lies, but in the end, it was for Hanabi, whose fight to remain seal-less was still ongoing.

Eventually, the rest of the guests assemble and the festivities begin. Everywhere Hinata looks, there is a mixture of familiar and strange faces. She has had wine glasses shoved into her hand too many times and she's consistently left them barely touched on the tables.

At the very least, Sakura hasn't left her side.

"How is the cactus doing?" asks Gaara, bringing Hinata out of her reverie as she turns her attention back to him.

"Oh, it's thriving." Sakura says. "Hinata-chan keeps a watering calendar for it and gets mad if I slack off."

"Th-That's not true!" She protests, flushing red. However, it's completely true. That cactus was the only other living thing in their apartment and its presence was very important to her.

Gaara smiles, "I'm glad." His gaze falters for a moment as he catches sight of Lee whizzing past them, off to speak to yet another person. "If you'll please excuse me..."

"Oh, no. Not at all. Enjoy yourself." says Sakura as she nudges Hinata with her elbow gently. She follows Sakura's line of sight and finds that Gaara has picked up another flute of champagne in addition to his own. "Wonder if he knows Lee won't drink."

"He m-might..." Hinata says, "Later."

"Well, I'm happy for them anyways." She laughs, taking another languid sip of her wine and draining the glass. Sakura's eyes brighten as she snatches up another glass (this time containing champagne). Hinata is tempted to point out she's been drinking a lot, but rather, perhaps she's been the one not drinking enough.

Everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves with the free alcohol but Hinata was holding back mostly because she didn't know how she'd get once it was in her system.

Hinata looks around and catches sight of her family. She meets eyes with Hanabi who smiles wolfishly and shoots her a thumbs-up while staring pointedly at her hand conjoined with Sakura's.

In return, she manages a wobbly smile and nods at her father who, for all his displeasure, doesn't seem livid. He's never liked it when she tried to show any semblance of PDA before but he couldn't quite do anything about her just holding Sakura's hand. They had a guise to hold up, after all.

She inaudibly sighs as pitifully as she can, suddenly interrupted by a cold wave of chakra washing down her spine. Hinata straightens and inadvertently meets eyes with Naruto across the pavilion who looks alarmed as well.

Something was off about the atmosphere and she thinks she has an idea as to what. Hinata quietly activates her Byakugan and assesses the new chakra signature that had washed over her. It certainly hadn't been there when she'd last checked the venue.

"Hinata-chan, are you okay?" asks Sakura worriedly.

"No..." She says, swallowing back a growing lump in her throat. "Someone's... here."

Sakura's brows knit as she tries to feel what Hinata is feeling. The Hyūga has a feeling that the alcohol was impairing Sakura's senses, because she would otherwise have picked up on this before she had.

Hinata's breath lodges in her throat again when she notices that someone has entered the pavilion, standing in the way of the arch that leads to the exit, tall, dark, and radiating energy she has not seen in a very long time.

Standing there was none other than Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

 **Nars:** Oh, not bad. There's a plot. Stay tuned for the final chapter where these ladies finally (or maybe not) have a proper conversation.


	7. All The Other Loves

**Nars:** Can you believe I started this in July and didn't finish it until April? Absolutely appalling. Well, that all ends today!

 **Chapter Summary:** With the return of Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura and Hinata are forced to come to terms about feelings and more importantly, what they feel for each other.  
 **Prompt:** All The Other Loves  
 **Word Count:** 3560

 **Disclaimer: Naruto/Naruto Shippuden belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. All characters mentioned belong solely to the aforementioned.**

* * *

"Unbelievable." snarls Temari, "I spend months agonizing over this wedding and this is how it ends."

"On the bright side," Tenten says pointedly. "You and Shikamaru are married. Even if the reception ended early and you won't be getting a refund on the food, at least you can call him your husband."

"Call him how? He's not even here." Kiba remarks dryly, ignoring the look Tenten shoots him. "Hey, I'm just saying. There was a lot going on tonight that's on hold 'cause of Sasuke."

Temari grumbles, plucked a wine flute between her fingers and sourly downs the contents.

It had only been a half hour since Sasuke Uchiha had shown up to the pavilion and effectively laid ruin to the event. Within that short time frame, Sakura along with several ANBU ninja on duty had tackled him and whisked him away to the Hokage tower for questioning.

The Hokage, who was enjoying the festivities himself had then commanded Naruto to stay away from the tower and then told Hinata to watch him while he trudged off to deal with the new development.

As such, Hinata is still standing uncomfortably in her dress and her heels and her eyes are trained on Naruto as he sulks and fidgets, shooting fervent looks in the direction of the Hokage tower.

She feels for him, she really does. But there was a limit to his patience and she can tell that he is reaching it.

"Naruto-kun–" She says, stumbling over to him as soon as she can see him tense up, as if raring to go. She puts a hand on his shoulder and then retracts it, because for all that it feels natural, it still doesn't feel right to touch him when his fuse seems about ready to blow. "I kn-know you want to go there now but..."

"I need to know what's goin' on." He responds, almost growling. If Naruto were the slightest bit more overwhelmed with his Nine Tails, she's sure she'd be able to see his hackles rise. "They can't just lock him up!"

"Naruto-kun!" She says again, this time more forcefully as she shakes her head. "Th-Think about who he's with. Hokage-sama was his teacher, Sakura-chan was h-his friend... I don't think... that they'll callously put him in p-prison."

She could not envision Sasuke being let out before the week was up, much less the day. She didn't know what it was that Sasuke Uchiha did, nor the gritty details behind his part in the war, but he was no real threat to the Leaf. Not anymore.

If anyone knew that, it was most definitely the Hokage.

Naruto's shoulders sink as he stares down at his feet. There is such a mixture of emotion in his gaze that Hinata almost can't tell who it is behind it. But she knows Naruto and he is a man of many, many feelings and most stem from his bond with Sasuke.

It was almost ridiculous how deep their soul bond went, how incredibly well they completed each other; like two sides of the same coin.

Hinata regards him as though her unactivated Byakugan could peer into his inner workings and piece him together. "You and Uchiha-san are... extremely c-close, aren't you?"

Naruto closes his eyes and nods. When he looks at Hinata, there is more vigour in the blue of his brilliant gaze than she has ever seen. He is doing the thing that used to make her heart go wild inside her chest. "We've come a long way. Together."

"I see." says Hinata, tapping a finger to her chin as she glances away with a hum. "Hokage-sama cannot really sc-scold me if a piece of dust got into my eye and Naruto-kun happened to e-escape... Can he?"

She rubs at her eye, not minding that the selective amount of shadow she's got on it is probably all smudged now. A flash of recognition passes across Naruto's face for a moment before he grins, ruffles her hair, and then disappears.

Hinata waits for all of one moment before she activates her Byakugan and watches his chakra signature grow further and further away. She hopes that whatever it is that he and Sasuke have... that they continue to defy these odds to be together.

It's the least they deserve.

* * *

Sakura has not seen Sasuke in quite a while. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but she hasn't missed her old teammate for some time now. The two of them never had such a great dynamic, not in the way that Naruto and Sasuke seemed to, but he was her teammate and she'd been with him through a lot.

She rolls a knot out of her shoulder and watches as Sasuke's interrogation continues to heed the same results that she'd expected. He wants to come back but he isn't giving any valid reasons as to why. Typical Sasuke to not want to spill his heart out to anyone.

(Anyone besides Naruto, that is.)

Sakura is still wearing her dress, although tackling Sasuke to the ground had caused it to scuff along the knee. It's probably ripped somewhere down the bottom too, virtually unusable unless she cuts it short or wears it like a top. It's the common fate of most of her clothes, she's noticed.

Sasuke had unwittingly put a huge damper on Shikamaru and Temari's wedding as well. She could only stand to imagine how they were handling this right around now. Shikamaru himself was called away to attend an emergency meeting with the Hokage and a select few others who were level-headed and thinking of ways to handle this situation.

If Sasuke indeed intended to stay here, then he'd have to make it up to the married couple before anyone could so much as begin to accept him back.

Ibiki, the man in charge of facilitating Sasuke's interrogation, stands up and sends Sakura a _look_ ; something that conveys his exhaustion and a silent plea to get something good out of Sasuke because he sure couldn't. He's getting old anyways, dealing with this probably hasn't helped his desire to retire. She nods and waits until he leaves before she saunters away to the table that Sasuke's arms–arm, rather–is still cuffed to.

She could have regrown his arm if he had come back in time. She still can, if he gets cleared to stay.

She runs a hand through her hair and regards Sasuke about as analytically as she can manage. Most of the alcohol is out of her system now, flushed down with several glasses of water that she'd been drinking voraciously since leaving the wedding pavilion.

Seeing Sasuke here is still sending a dizzying feeling to her head, but less so that she still harbours a crush on him, and more so like she still can't comprehend why he came back out of the blue like this.

"It's strange." She remarks, "It feels like I'm locked in a genjutsu. Anything seems more believable than you being back."

Sasuke huffs. He doesn't say anything to plead his case, but he leans his head back and watches her as she straightens up and matches his look. "I... don't go back on my word."

"And which word was that?"

"I told Naruto I would come back." He says.

She sighs, "And it still took you this long to work up the courage? What were you doing out there?"

Sasuke's expression shifts and grows the slightest bit less impassive. She can almost tell what he's thinking, but then again, the Uchiha is nothing if not a complete anomaly. "Thinking."

She rolls her eyes and tries a different approach. "He tried to hard to bring you back, now you're here and you can't even give a real reason as to why you should be accepted with opened arms. Naruto's out there, right now, being physically held back from barging in here himself. If you cared about him then you'd–"

"I _do_ care." snarls Sasuke, and it's the first real semblance of emotion that Sakura has seen splash across his face in a long time. His hand is white with how tight he's wound his fingers into a fist. "I care more than you know."

His words ring heavy in her ears for a while past that point. Sasuke settles back down to his chair and keeps his head down, but she can't stop thinking about what he'd said, or rather, what remained unspoken.

The infamous Uchiha was capable of love all along. It just took him awhile to get there.

If Sakura was coming to this conclusion herself, then there was a good chance that Hinata was doing the same, back in the pavilion.

She smiles a bit and stands up, moving towards the window nearby. "If anyone deserves to be happy, it's Naruto. He's been fighting, every day of his life to prove that he's worthy of being loved. He doesn't need someone who can't be frank with their feelings."

 _Hypocrite_ , she thinks. There are other people in this world who deserve significant others who are blunt with their feelings.

She turns back to Sasuke and to her surprise, he almost flinches at her finality over him. Sakura makes a fist with one hand and presses it against her other open palm. "And I'm only telling you all this because you've got T minus two minutes before he slams that door open and busts in here to see if you get to stay."

She stalks over to the door and stops, turning back to Sasuke before she heads out. "Use the few minutes you've got wisely."

"Where are you going?" He asks. It catches her by surprise for a moment, enough to make her question her own intentions. Where was she going, exactly? What is she going to prove?

"You're not the only one who has a confession to make, Sasuke-kun." says Sakura pointedly and then she takes her leave.

* * *

Hinata makes it back to the apartment within five minutes after she lets Naruto run off to the Hokage tower. She's long taken off her shoes, and with that, the last bit of doubt that she still hangs onto.

Her feelings are not a lie and they aren't second-rate and they're not to be taken lightly. Neji had always told her that she was good at being selfless and putting herself down. He'd always hoped to see a change in that part of her personality. It was finally time to bring that to fruition and make him proud, posthumously or otherwise.

Hinata rubs at the blisters on the back of her heel as she lowers herself onto the sofa. It'll bruise over by the morning, but it still brings a clarifying sort of pain that is much welcome to her as she takes into account how stupid she's been.

Why had she prolonged her own suffering for so long?

She's known from the very start that she was falling in love.

It's coming up to an hour since the wedding reception was cut short due to a certain Uchiha's appearance. She's been sitting here a while now, stewing in her insecurities and lamenting her stupidity.

She wonders when Sakura will make it home so that they can talk.

The pain her blisters bring also carry the clarity of recognizing how far she was willing to go for Sakura Haruno. Hinata feels like she can sit here for the next hour, and then another, and then all the way into the middle of the night—She'll wait as long as it takes for Sakura to come home.

Lee used to enjoy reciting quotes that were cheesy to the typical person and not so bad to her. Many were unremarkable and they wouldn't affect her in the coming days, but he had told her one... one day, in Neji's room when retrieving a roll of bandages that Neji had hid from him before the War. Lee hadn't had any plans to use it. Mostly, it was just to remember Neji by, and they seemed to be doing a lot of that.

 _"Home is not a place, Hinata-chan, it's a person."_ He had said, wiser than he knew.

Yes. She feels that now. People may have a house but they will always be homeless until the person who matters the most comes home to them.

Hinata has had many homes, in that regard. She's had her mother, her sister, and to a farther extent, even her father, whose harsh methods of love had toughened her resolve like this. She's had her teammates and she's had Neji, who even though not on the earth was still in her heart.

And now, she has Sakura.

Hinata smooths the material of her dress and exhales. Her sigh is short-lived when the sound of the door being unlocked rings out. She gets to her feet almost immediately and wrings her hands together as she stares at the door in anxious wait.

The door swings open and there stands Sakura, a bit more worn-out with scuff marks on her dress and a slight tear on the bottom, but otherwise, she has never looked more alive.

The tension between them is electrifying and palpable. She wants to say something, but there are not enough words in the dictionary that would be able to convey what she was feeling.

So they say nothing and meet in the middle.

It's impossible to say who starts it, who reaches for who, and who lets it happen. But when their lips touch, Hinata feels an electric current run all the way up her spine as she is consumed with the singular thought that, yes, this is right where she's meant to be.

The first kiss is gentle, like a foray into new territory. It is a cautious brush of lips against lips, telling the both of them that they could still run if they so wanted to.

(They don't run away.)

Sakura cups Hinata's cheek with a palm and holds her close as their second, third, fourth kiss follows shortly after the first, more urgent and more fervent than the last.

She's had dreams about this moment and read books about this dynamic, but nothing compares to the real thing. Nothing compares to being kissed by Sakura Haruno.

They part ways at the same time, drawing back for breath. It's short-lived as Sakura's fingers find her again and bring her back in, this time for a much deserved embrace. Hinata throws her arms around the other woman's neck and allows herself a moment of reprieve.

"That's certainly a way to say hello." jokes Sakura against her shoulder.

"It was the... right way." says Hinata breathlessly, "I've been s-stupid."

Sakura laughs quietly, "So have I. All this time... I thought that you didn't like me like that."

Hinata pulls back and fixes Sakura with a meaningful look. She feels her pulse in her ears but she won't be deterred. Not anymore. "...I love you, Sakura-chan."

Sakura's face grows red. She swallows hard and looks down at her feet but after a moment she takes Hinata's hands between her own and smiles. "I love you too, Hinata-chan."

They seal their newfound love with another kiss. The first of many yet to come.

* * *

"You can't touch me being slow like that, Hanabi-chan!" goads Sakura, sidestepping an attack from Hanabi Hyūga who growls and continues to try and land just one hit.

"I'll grind you into dust!" cries Hanabi, irritation building in her brow when Sakura easily stops an open-palmed strike by grabbing her hand.

While the sparring continues in the middle of the dojo, to the side Hinata stands with her father, the splitting image of refined elegance and pride in an outfit she has selected herself for the events yet to come. "She w-will do good for this family." says Hinata, unable to keep how fiercely happy she is from her voice.

"Perhaps." says Hiashi, "She has already intimidated the elders into adhering to your wishes."

Hinata smiles and watches a bead of sweat course down Hanabi's temple, very close to her unmarked, naked forehead. The cursed mark had not been placed upon her sister and every Hyūga born to the family, past this point.

Things were changing in the house of Hyūga. Hinata had Sakura to thank for that.

"No ANBU ninja you chose for m-me could have done that." Hinata says pointedly. She knows that she is being a bit reckless, speaking to him like that, but she could always blame it on Sakura's influence on her.

Hiashi raises a brow but there is a barely perceptible smile forming at the corner of his lip. "Haruno-san instills fear in the elders."

Sometimes, Hinata had to admit, it was better to be feared than revered. Those old elders just couldn't seem to learn respect, so they would learn terror instead.

"If you intend to become the head of this clan, you will need to make some harsh decisions about _how_ you will do so." says Hiashi, clearing his throat. "For one, you must move back."

Hinata nods, keeping her eyes trained on Sakura's form as she continues to lead Hanabi by the nose. She has always known that she could not rule her clan from an apartment far from them. She had to be there, in the centre of it all, like a noble leader would. She and Sakura have discussed this many times.

"Second, you must hurry and marry her." He continues.

Hinata's eyes widen, the same time that Hanabi lands on the mat with a loud thump, trying to kick at Sakura's legs to bring her down too. Sakura is avoiding (and failing) to hide her laughter as she helps the younger girl up.

 _Marriage_. Everything with Sakura feels so new, although it has been months since they have begun dating (for real). But she can't imagine going to such a step with anyone _but_ Sakura.

"Sakura Hyūga..." murmurs Hiashi, tapping a finger to his chin. "It has a charming ring to it, I suppose."

Hinata flushes red and plays with the edge of her sleeve as Hanabi grills Sakura for answers about a move she'd used during their spar.

"I _had_ wanted grandchildren." Her father adds, albeit sullenly. "But you will do something about that later, I'm sure."

"F-Father!?" She squeaks, looking up at him in shock. He chuckles quietly, his normally cold eyes filled with mirth. Her father was a complex man of many biting words, but on the occasion where he said and did things like this, well, she can see their resemblance sometimes.

"Hinata!" Sakura chirps, bounding up to the two of them. She blinks, looking from her girlfriend to Hiashi in surprise, "Why is your face so red?"

"N-No reason, don't worry!" She yelps, as Sakura shrugs and takes her hand. Truly, Hinata can see an ideal future not too far for the both of them. Waking up in a large room in the Hyūga household, sun streaming through the open windows, walking through the gardens—it had to be with _her_.

"Oh, crap. Is it that time already?" gasps Sakura, as Hinata looks at the clock. "We have dinner reservations, Hiashi-san, so we'll have to leave for now."

Hinata smiles, "I have to g-get my coat."

"I'll wait for you." Sakura replies as Hinata leaves the dojo, on her way to what used to be her own little room.

Sakura waits until she can no longer hear her girlfriend's footsteps before she turns to Hanabi who fishes through a pile of weapons and throws her a tiny velvet box. She catches it effortlessly and stuffs it into her pocket with a grateful smile aimed at both Hyūgas left in the dojo.

"Good luck, Haruno-san." says Hiashi, and this time, there is no distaste or poison laced in his tone. It had taken some time for Hinata's father to come around, but eventually he had. His reasoning: There are worse contestants for his daughter's affections.

(Sakura thought he was a bit afraid of her, but she wasn't about to say that out loud.)

"You know, after this and everything goes well, you'll probably be seeing me here a lot." grins Sakura, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are you okay with that, Hiashi-san?"

The older man regards her cryptically for a moment before inclining his head, a sign of great respect for someone as proud and as stubborn as Hiashi. "As long as Hinata is happy, I will gladly put up with you, Haruno-san."

"Awh." says Sakura, "Likewise."

...

Fast forward, ten minutes later. Hinata and Sakura walk hand in hand towards the restaurant of Sakura's choosing. Everyone they pass waves animatedly and some, mildly aware of the plan, wink at Sakura and wish her good luck when Hinata isn't looking.

Sakura stares down at their conjoined hands when they enter the restaurant. Hinata tends not to wear jewelry on anywhere but her ears. She rubs her thumb over Hinata's pale knuckles and smiles to herself.

She's going to look so beautiful wearing her ring.

* * *

 **you might not have been my first love**  
 **but you were the love that made**  
 ** _all other loves_ seem**  
 **irrelevant**

 **\- rupi kaur**

* * *

 **Nars:** And that's a wrap. Thanks for sticking it out with me! As you can see, I love Hinata-centric pairings, and I might write a NaruHina fic at some point or the next. Anyways, I love SakuHina and I hope you caught that SasuNaru and GaaLee that was insinuated both in this chapter and the previous.

Let us meet again in another story, but until then, I love you all :)


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